Error-correction record pushes quantum computers closer to usefulnessMon, 19 Oct 2026 12:00:00 +0000 Useful quantum computers will have to use many “logical qubits” as their computational building blocks, and researchers just broke the record for how reliable they can be | |
El Niño is dramatically increasing sea levels – how bad could it get?Mon, 19 Oct 2026 10:00:00 +0000 El Niño has already raised sea levels in part of the eastern Pacific by 40 centimetres and as it continues to strengthen, there could be coastal flooding from Alaska to Chile | |
Why the Drake equation is still important 65 years after its creationMon, 19 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 The Drake equation provides a way to guess how many aliens we might be able to communicate with, but it’s also a prime example of the importance of scientific guessing, says columnist Leah Crane | |
Archaeologists are uncovering the meaning of a unique rock art siteMon, 19 Oct 2026 07:00:00 +0000 Excavations in the Côa valley in Portugal, the world’s largest site of Palaeolithic open-air rock art, are yielding clues about how engravings of animals were seen by prehistoric hunter-gatherers | |
Noise-cancelling headphones prevent vomiting after surgerySat, 17 Oct 2026 18:30:00 +0000 Nausea and vomiting are common after surgery, which may be partly related to the noises patients are exposed to, even under general anaesthetic. Wearing noise-cancelling headphones while on the operating table reduces the risk | |
Japan is launching a mission to Mars’s largest moon PhobosFri, 16 Oct 2026 17:00:00 +0000 The Martian Moons eXploration spacecraft, set to launch on 20 October, will bring back samples that should solve a moon mystery that has been vexing scientists for more than a century | |
El Niño has killed hundreds of children in SudanFri, 16 Oct 2026 16:37:49 +0000 Drought driven by El Niño is causing hunger and disease in Sudan that has already killed hundreds of children | |
Scientists have just voted to abolish leap secondsFri, 16 Oct 2026 13:59:18 +0000 Since 1972, officials have added 27 leap seconds to the universal clock, but in a meeting this week in France they have decided to abandon the practice | |
Can a positive mindset protect us from the sniffles?Fri, 16 Oct 2026 08:00:00 +0000 If you’re trying to avoid the worst of cold and flu season, looking after your mind can help shape your immune system, finds columnist David Robson | |
Will physics be the next field to be turned upside down by AI?Fri, 16 Oct 2026 06:00:00 +0000 AI has taken huge strides in computer programming and mathematics – physics could be next | |